HOW TO CHOOSE OLD FURNITURE. 



69 



virgin simplicity. Tripod tables with what are termed 

 &quot; pie-crust &quot; or &quot; ribbon &quot; edges should be carefully 

 scrutinised in a strong light. Genuine examples of 

 the eighteenth century are invariably cut out of a 

 solid piece of wood, with top and rim all in one ; but 

 those that are &quot; faked &quot; have the pie-crust or ribbon 

 added to the original top, though when the whole of 

 the top is new it is often carved out of the solid piece 

 as of old. 



There is a great deal of spurious satinwood furni 

 ture on the market, but this is more easily detected 

 than mahogany, owing to the light colour of the wood 

 and the difficulty of concealing the new colouring 

 matter. Let it be borne in mind that all satinwood 

 in its original state is white, but the beautiful mellow 

 honey colour of old satinwood is due more to age than 

 to artificial colouring. New satinwood is hard and 

 vulgar in its garislmess, while the old is soft and quiet 

 in tone, (lenuine bureau bookcases in satinwood are 

 rare and expensive, and the writer has seen old pieces 

 Irom which the original mahogany veneer has been 

 stripped and replaced by new satinwood a forgery 



which, if 

 s uc ce ss- 

 ftil. would 

 in o r e 

 t h a n 

 el o u b 1 e 

 t h e i r 

 value. 



Care 

 must be 

 t a k e n 

 w h e n 

 choosing 

 inlaid 



105. &amp;lt;;EORGE i. 



I06. QUEEN ANNE. 



pi e c e s 

 that one 

 buys the 



English examples, and not the Dutch, as both these 

 countries were occupied in producing them at the same 

 periods. Our own workmanship is far superior both in 

 construction, cabinet-making and inlaying. Many Dutch 

 artists in marquetry came to England towards the end 

 of the seventeenth century, and it is difficult to decide 

 whether the work of that date was done by a Dutch or an 

 English hand ; but the marquetry which is well and 

 carefully done and is reserved and quiet in decoration, is 

 generally accepted as having been done in England. The 

 revival of inlaid work which took place in England about 

 one hundred years later is in every way superior to that 

 done in Holland at the same time, and when once a 

 comparison has been made between the delicate inlay 

 added to the most perfect cabinet-making produced at 

 that period in England and the rough, coarse articles made 

 by our neighbours over the water, the collector will never 

 hesitate in making the right choice. 



By the term &quot; old furniture,&quot; nothing later than 

 that of the eighteenth century is usually implied, though 

 good work was done in the early years of the last century 

 as far as actual workmanship is concerned. Taste gradually, 



